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Hyperion Mission Logs
Maiden Voyage: The Nebula Mission Briefing Stardate 239004.02 "Welcome to Hyperion, everyone. I'm Captain Lily Ventura. Allow me to start by introducing all of you." She nodded to each person as she spoke his or her name. "To my right, Lieutenant Commander Salak, executive officer. Lieutenant Commander Quinn Reynolds, chief of intelligence and second officer. Lieutenat Lor'reana G'Ryffin, chief of helm and operations. Lieutenant Commander Kathy Jameison, chief science officer, with science specialists Lieutenant Tildaen Ethelwin and Lieutenant Commander Nick Parks. Lieutenant Commander Kathryn Bennett, chief medical officer. Lieutenant Padraig McLoughlin, chief engineer. And standing, First Lieutenant Paxton Rome, chief marine officer. "Some of you may have noticed that we don't have a chief of security, or any security officers onboard. Hyperion is currently serving as a Starfleet experiment, and right now all of our Starfleet security personnel have been replaced by marines. Lieutenant Rome is, effectively, our chief of security. (beat) There are a few changes, though, especially compared to what you'd expect from the operations of Starfleet security. Guards will be present in key locations around the ship - the bridge, main engineering, and others - to protect those sections in the event of an intruder alert. (a moment's frown) Please, if you have any questions regarding the new system, speak to me, Commanders Salak or Reynolds, or Lieutenant Rome." She re-took her seat, but stayed on the very edge of her chair with her back straight and her shoulders squared. "Luna-class ships are not usually vessels that include accommodations for families or civilians, but in this case, there are a few exceptions. The first is my son, Rhys. The second is a civilian doctor, Vojana Satscher, who I believe a few of you know. Finally, we have Cadet Bryan Kepke aboard, who's elected to do his final Academy term with us. He's command track and an H/C/O major, so he'll be spending most of his time under the guidance of Commander Salak and Lieutenant G'Ryffin." "Right then, our mission." She tapped a couple of controls on the table, and a holographic nebula appeared in the middle, hovering a few inches above the tabletop. It was a pretty thing, mostly blue and orange, rather like the love child of a cloud and an amoeba. "This is the Cerenkov Nebula, named for a Russian physicist of old Earth. It's been surveyed but never explored in depth; in fact, the last vessel to even pass by and scan it was the science vessel Arroway in 2315, seventy-five years ago. But, even then, it seemed ... well, beautiful, but bog-standard. (beat) I have to admit, I thought this mission - exploring and cataloguing an unremarkable nebula - was a waste of the Hyperion's resources.... "...but I've just received information that our mission is a bit more complex then it initially appeared. Last week, Listening Post Fourteen detected a very faint signal coming from the Cerenkov Nebula. Because there's no intelligent life in that sector, and because it's light-years away from the space claimed by any major power, it isn't routinely monitored for transmissions; however, once the signal was detected, Starfleet classified it as a distress call. (beat) The signal's source is unknown, but we're going to find out what it is and where it's coming from. The Cerenkov Nebula is a week away at our maximum warp, far out in Beta Quadrant, and far beyond the spheres of influence of the Klingons, the Romulans, and the Federation." She tapped a few buttons, and the image of the nebula disappeared, leaving the room much darker than it had been. "We have an entire week to get used to Hyperion and each other ... which, as I'm sure you all know by now, is a lifetime compared to the shakedown time new crews typically get. (grin) Still, I have some assignments for each of you and your departments to work on before we get to the nebula. You'll work in two groups, with whatever secondary personnel and departmental support you require. Commander Salak, Commander Bennett, Lieutenant Rome, and Commander Jameison, you'll be on the first team. From you, I would like to know what our listening posts and survey ships may have missed over the years. What kind of life could exist around the nebula, or even inside it? If the distress call is coming from a nearby indiginous civilization, I want to know what we could possibly expect, and that includes everything from possible temperaments to technological specifications. Also, you have Doctor Satscher aboard - make use of her knowledge and experience. "Commander Reynolds, Lieutenant Ethelwin, Lieutenant G'Ryffin and Lieutenant McLoughlin, you'll be on team two, working with the signal. I assume Starfleet has run it through whatever top translators they have, but all they've given us to go on is a recording of the signal, and a set of coordinates they've told me "might" allow us to hear it for ourselves as we approach the nebula. Do what you can to try and figure out what the signal's saying and who it's coming from."